The following devices are known as conventional image processing systems: a device which records or prints image information read by an image scanner by an image printer and/or supplies a computer with information; a facsimile device which memorizes image information received through a telephone line in an internal memory prior to recording the information; and similar devices.
In such conventional image processing systems, units such as the image scanner, image printer, facsimile device, and personal computer are independent of each other, and therefore, the systems cannot transmit image information read out of the image scanner or information produced at the personal computer via facsimile without the help of a separate facsimile device. Also, the traditional systems cannot synthesize image information received by the facsimile device with another image information by using the personal computer or a similar device. According to the traditional systems, units having respective functions are not connected to each other internally, so that data reciprocation between units is impossible and moreover transmission of data produced by other units via facsimile are time-consuming and troublesome.